Eastern Railroad Discussion > What happens when a loaded "hot bottle" car derails?

The recent post of the Granite City, Illinois steel mill showing a "typical" car full of molten iron/steel prompts this question. What steps would be taken [i.e. puddle the iron/steel on the ground, let it solidify in the car, etc.]if one of these car would derail?

--Bill

My dad worked in a foundry as a kid and said that stuff is pretty hot when it spills on the floor!

Have you watch any movie, like "Aliens" (Sigourney Weaver) If you kill or shoot an alien, that acidic stuff burns thru the floor, its pretty much the same thing.. spill hot metal, it's a possibly it can leave a "crater"

CR


winonarr Wrote:
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> The recent post of the Granite City, Illinois
> steel mill showing a "typical" car full of molten
> iron/steel prompts this question. What steps
> would be taken if one of these car would derail?
>
> --Bill

It gets real messy real quick! It all depends on what caused the derailment. Operator incompetence can be the worse. These things are very heavy.(notice all the axles. the longer it takes them to realize there is a problem and stop the worse it is. These things do not carry well with side winders but there is no other way, So the farther you have to carry them to good rail The worse. We have tried climbers and more often than not they break. Bad track same problem. you also have to remember when working around these the iron will splash like water if handled to rough. It WILL burn right through all but the shinny space suits and even those offer only slight protection. Even small drops cause very severe burns!!!
Blow outs and spills are there own set of problems. Spills are not so bad hopefully out of the gauge, just let it cool. In the gauge move the equipment and let it cool, And Pitty the track department cause the ties are toast! and a night mare to change. Brak outs are the worse cause the crew tries to run the car to a location where a couple hundred tons of molten iron wouldn't screw up operations to bad. Flip side is all the carnage made getting out of the way. If they catch it quick this isn't so bad.
I have had a locomotive or 2 where idiot operators decided it would be smart to run the loco back and forth over the molten iron to cut flange ways to keep the tracks open. To bad they burnt T.M. cables and ruined 2 motors doing this.

We just had 2 derail in the Mital plant in Cleveland. No spill, and 4 sidewinders had them re-railed. It can stay usable in the bottles for a few days.
Rich

Granite City Steel tipped one over at that crossing once,melted the road,tracks,and cars waiting at the crossing. Mike